1936 was also the first year in the modern Olympics that the torch was ran from Athens to the stadium. The Nazi's used the gatherings at the torch hand offs as a place to recruit young members. Ironically Krupp, the manufacture of the torch, was making Panzer tanks at the same time that would be used in WWII.

You can walk from France to Britain. There's an underground passage called the Channel Tunnel, which is used as a railway, so if the trains could either stop or make sure they don't hit him on the way, it is technically possible to run relays from Athens to Britain.

On May 16th a British Airways Airbus A319, with custom gold livery and named "The Firefly", flew from Heathrow to Athens to collect the flame. On 18 May the aircraft flew as flight BA2012 from Athens to RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. The flame was not extinguished during flight, having been classified as a 'ceremonial flame' by the Civil Aviation Authority, but was kept in four Davy lamps secured in a cradle firmly fixed to seats in Row 1. There was enough smoke-free fuel to last 30 hours. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics_torch_relay